Premier League 1994-95
The 1994–95 FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the third season of the Premier League, the top division of professional football in England. Promotion and relegation Start of season Teams promoted from the First Division 1993-94 * Crystal Palace (Champions) * Nottingham Forest (Runners-up) * Leicester City (Playoff winners) End of season Teams relegated to the First Division 1995-96 * Crystal Palace * Ipswich Town * Leicester City * Norwich City Controversial incidents In January 1995, Manchester United's 28-year-old French striker Eric Cantona (then holder of the PFA Players' Player of the Year award) assaulted a Crystal Palace fan in his team's 1–1 draw at Selhurst Park. Cantona was banned from football for eight months, fined £20,000 and sentenced to 14 days in prison. The prison sentence was later reduced to 120 hours community service on appeal. Chelsea midfielder Dennis Wise was convicted of criminal damage and assault, relating to a fight with a taxi driver in London. He was given a three-month prison sentence but the conviction and prison sentence were quickly overturned on appeal. Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson admitted in November 1994 that he was an alcoholic and was also addicted to cocaine and gambling. He underwent a three-month drug rehabilitation programme before being allowed to resume his playing career. Crystal Palace striker Chris Armstrong failed a drugs test in February 1995 but admitted that he had done wrong and returned to action after just four weeks undergoing rehabilitation. Armstrong was Palace's leading goalscorer in 1994–95, helping them reach the semi finals of both domestic cup competitions, but was unable to prevent them from being relegated back to the First Division just one season after winning promotion. Arsenal manager George Graham was sacked in February 1995 after nearly nine years in charge, when it was revealed that he had accepted an illegal payment of £425,000 from Norwegian agent Rune Hauge relating to the purchases of Norwegian and Danish players Pål Lydersen and John Jensen three years earlier. Graham was later banned from football for one year by the FA. Promoted teams Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, and Leicester City were promoted to the league following the 1993–94 First Division season. Relegated teams 1994–95 was the last season of the 22-club Premier League. The FA had decided to decrease the division to 20 clubs. To accommodate the redistribution of clubs across the Football League and Premier League, four teams were relegated from the Premier League and two promoted from Division One, alongside four relegations from Division One and two promotions from Division Two. The bottom place in the 1994–95 final Premier League table was occupied by Ipswich Town, who conceded 93 goals and won just seven games. Second from bottom came Leicester City, who won just six Premier League games in their first top division season for eight years. Third from bottom was Norwich City, who won just one of their final 20 games after spending the first half of the season near the top of the table. The final relegation place went to Crystal Palace, who went down on the final day. They lost 3–2 to Newcastle on the final day of the season, and manager Alan Smith was sacked within a week of the defeat. Personnel and kits (as of 14 May 1995) Final league table Results Top goalscorers Awards Monthly awards External links *1994-95 Premier League Season at RSSSF 1994-95